>> i just want to thank everybody for coming. thank you for nominating us and electing us. my banker is here also. if not for the support we've gotten from the california bank of commerce, we would not be where we are today. i am really happy that my family is here to share this. our children are working with us as partners. we've had a great ride. we have a crazy family. we're having a lot of fun. i hope the same for you. it has been really awesome for us. thank you very much. [applause] >> i also want to amplify to the lenders and tmc development,

barber is the one that the sba loan went through for expansion several times now. this is a country that tmc and lending partners have been a big partner of. another big partner is wells fargo. it is the largest sba lender in the country for several years running. [applause] >> we are really excited to be with all of you tonight to celebrate small business week and especially the winners tonight. we are committed to small businesses. we love small business and big business. thank you for the acknowledgement. in the first six months of the fiscal year, wells fargo has been the no. 1 sba small lender in california and the country.

we are excited about that. i want to tell you about a local after we have going on in san francisco. that is our small business neighborhood renovation program. we work with local organizations. we funded the renovation of three local businesses who applied for assistance at no cost to them. i want to recognize those businesses here tonight. the renovations are complete. the business owners are here. they are from ja and k grocery and others. if you could stand, congratulations. [applause] we had an independent panel. we had a lot of fun. we judged the makeovers to select a winner for the most dramatic improvement to the renovations of the business.

the award for the winning business, they will be featured on of the wells fargo atm's for the next 30 days. this business will be highlighted there. the top 2012 small business renovation award goes to g and k grocery. [applause] congratulations. we have certificates for all of you. congratulations. great renovations. the judges were very impressed. thank you for all that you do. [applause] >> thank you. [applause]

my english is not so good. today i am very happy and very excited. i am really lucky and very happy that i come here to get this award. i am 56 years old. i have never gotten an award. the first time. [applause] i am really excited. thank you.

i am very happy they support me. he is here on stage. [laughter] i am very -- >> nervous. [laughter] >> he is very nervous. he does not know what to say. [laughter] [applause] >> thank you very much. [applause] this is a very happy place to me. very happy. thank you very much. [applause] >> congratulations. now it is my great pleasure to introduce our next speaker. he is at the forefront of small business in san francisco

meeting overall economic development and job creation. earlier this year, he announced $1.5 million will san francisco small business revolving loan fund. it is a phone fu --nd -- it is a fund supported by low interest loans. please join me in welcoming mayor ed lee. [applause] >> thank you very much. let me join in the chorus of congratulations to all of the award winners tonight and thank recology for hosting us, joining the chamber, and small business leaders tonight. as elizabeth and mark pointed out, they knew our san francisco businesses had started celebrating early. one of the reasons is because san francisco small businesses

can smell a party two weeks and dance. -- in a defense -- they can smelly party two weeks in advance. [laughter] they are fun to work with. during our most economically challenging times, it was small businesses that kept coming back. they were so resilience. as i stepped up to take on this responsibility as mayor, it clearly was on my wind -- mind to find some way to register our appreciation. small business by its name, sometimes you are thinking these are people and businesses isolated by themselves. but you are a big topic at city hall these days. you are big because we are getting more people to understand how it is that our small businesses are 50% of all

the employees that are hired in our city. 50 2% of the revenue generated in our city. 52% of the revenue generated in our cities from small businesses. when you look at challenges, when you look at mid-market, then you start feeling investment confidence when small-business is started locating theire, and their willingness to collaborate with the arts organizations and start to bring relief into the very hard core area of our city. it was not just the big companies. they are getting a lot of credit for that. who was there to start the revival? it was our small businesses. that is why as soon as i stepped forward and got elected, i

looked back at who could recognize readily. it has got to be our small business community. regina and steve said we could use help. the revolving loan fund was used up. instantly would put the money in there. we that the board of supervisors to revive it. we have $1 million committed today along with wells fargo $500,000. it is there and will be used fast. in the next budget for the next team of years, we have already got plans for the whole $5 million. as long as it is there, people will use it. we know small businesses are reviving our economy and creating the level of investor confidence we want to see. not just in mid-market. all neighborhood corridors will get the benefit. that is why we signaled these

revolving loans to reach out to the neighborhoods in the city, to invest in the neighborhoods. they are going to help revive. i tell people i am sick and tired of seeing empty storefronts in different parts of the city. we assure you we will work with institutions like wells fargo and others to get the money out as they have done. let me give a shout out again to wells. not only have they loaned small businesses and have been a great supporter in working with the city, but when the vandalism occurred on mission street, a step forward quickly to help small businesses immediately recover. they should be thanked as a city for helping out with that. [applause] you have all of our small businesses have been so

wonderful to us. you have allowed us to be more creative in the city. not only will we push investment in neighborhoods and the revolving loan fund, we're also pushing local manufacturing. mark said it best. we are on a big revival of local manufacturing. it begins at home. i will tell you this. i have a lot of international friends that come from all over the world, a special from china, japan, the philippines, and career. if they see things made in san francisco by small businesses, they will buy that up. there are international markets for sf-made products. our state has yet to recognize that. that is why they have not invested in opening up an international office.

i keep nudging jerry to pay attention to this. we are already creating international presence with our locally made and designed products. there is a huge outpouring of appreciation from the market to see this. i have great interest in supporting businesses. i will be investing in their success. if they're successful, our city is going to be successful. if they are successful, the lawyers are coming. [laughter] other sports and other entities will come. they will want to partake in the spirit of success that has always been the spirit in our small business sector. it is my pleasure t oadd to the awards ceremony by announcing my small business week honoree.

this year if it goes to sunset. come on up jim. [applause] this is probably a little different than you would expect. sunset shapers is not manufacturing the biggest technology machine. they make surf boards and shape them. now in addition to the success of selling those, they also sell a lot of fashion accessories and jewelry because it is a lifestyle. as soon as i learned how to use my ipad, then i will learn how to use a surf board. i have got my priorities straight. [laughter] they have evidenced this innovative, creative spirit. whatever you do, there is a market if you do it well.

if you make fine handcrafted quality in san francisco, they will sell well. jim has been successful at it. he has brought back the entrepreneurial spirit of creating things in your own neighborhood and being a successful business. on behalf of the city and to all of your creative efforts, please keep on making things in san francisco. congratulations. [applause] >> i want to say thank-you to mayor lee for the honor. it is an honor to be recognized for manufacturing in a city that is known for technology. also, i want to thank you for creating the environment for letting small-business drive --

thrive. the loans available, the support you have offered me, i could not have done it without it. i want to say thank you again and to everybody, thank you for coming. it is quite an honor. [applause] >> thank you, mr. mayor. i want to thank you because during your inaugural address you talk about small businesses and said jobs, jobs, jobs. i remember that. six months later, we're doing that. thank you for your follow-up on that. [applause] you are creating a buzz in the city. it is great. for the eighth year, our volunteer committee has the goal of honoring, educating, connecting, and inspiring

thousands of small-business owners throughout the city and the impact that they have. we would like to thank our sponsors. sba, sf chamber of commerce, office of small business, council of district merchants, and the golden gate business association. >> every person in this room is building small business. you are helping small businesses through -- to thrive. remember to shop san francisco, shot small business. -- shop small business. please stay and help congratulate the awardees, the sponsors, and each other. we're making san francisco great. thank you again, mr. mayor. [applause]

>> the right to vote allows us to vote for candidates or party and it is a significant way to have our voice heard.

exactly 100 years ago, women were given the vote in california. the battle for women's suffrage was not an easy one. it took more than 70 years. a woman could run for president in new york. >> organizing this conference, basically it modeled itself on a declaration of independence for women. it marked the beginning of the women's equality movement in the united states. >> at that time, women were banned from holding property and voting in elections.

>> susan b. anthony dedicated her life to reform. >> suffrage in the middle of the 19th century accomplished one goal, it was diametrically opposed to this idea. >> many feared it would be corrupted by politics. >> women in the 19th century had to convince male voters that having the vote would not change anything. that woman would still be devoted to the home, the family, that they would remain pure and innocent, that having the vote would not corrupt them. >> support gradually grew in

state and local campaigns. >> leaders like ellen clark sgt come repeatedly stopping these meetings -- , repeatedly stopping these meetings as a politically active figure. doing everything they could to ground the campaign in domesticity. >> despite their efforts, the link made it tough whenever voters were in the big city. a specialist in francisco. >> the problem with san francisco is that women's suffrage as an idea was associated. >> susan b. anthony joined the

provision party. a deadly idea in san francisco. liquor was the foundation of the economy. and >> anything that touched on the possibility of prohibition was greatly and popular. >> the first campaign was a great effort, but not a success. >> the war was not over. less than one decade later, a graphic protests brought new life to the movement. >> women's suffrage, the republican convention in oakland, this time it was the private sector response. 300 marched down the streets of the convention center.

women were entitled to be here. >> joining together for another campaign. >> women opened a club in san francisco. it was called the votes for women club. if she could get the shopkeepers to have lunch, she could get them to be heard literature. the lunch room was a tremendous success. >> it was the way that people thought about women willing to fight for a successful campaign. what happened was, the social

transformation increase the boundary of what was possible, out word. >> there were parades and rallies, door to door candidacies, reaching every voter in the state. >> the eyes of the nation were on california in 1911, when we all voted. it was the sixth and largest state in the nation to approve this. one decade later, we have full voting rights in the united states. helping newly enfranchised women, a new political movement was founded. >> starting in the 1920's, it was a movement created by the suffragettes moving forward to getting the right to vote.

all of the suffragettes were interested in educating the new voters. >> non-partisan, not endorsing candidates >> -- endorsing candidates, getting the right to vote and one they have their voice heard. >> the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage is taking place throughout the state. bancroft library is having an exhibit that highlights the women's suffrage movement, chronicling what happened in california, bringing women the right to vote. >> how long does this mean going on? >> the week of the 20th. people do not realize that women

were allowed to vote as early as the 1920's. in the library collection we have a manuscript from the end of december, possibly longer. >> in commemoration of 100 years of voting in california. 100 years ago this year, we won the right to vote. around 1911, this is how it would have addressed. and here we are, dressed the same.

[chanting] >> we have the right to vote. >> whether you are marching for a cause or voting in the next election, make your voice heard. thank you for watching.